On the recordJanuary 1, 1791
The constitution of a country is not the act of its government, but of the people constituting its government.
Said by
Thomas Paine
Source
gutenberg.orgThomas Paine: “The constitution of a country is not the act of its government, but of the people constituting its government.”
Editor's note · Context
In "Rights of Man," Paine asserts that a nation's constitution originates from the people, not from the government itself.
Share
More from Thomas Paine
Jan 1, 1791
But the spirit of the nation was not to be overcome, and it was so fully sensible of the strong ground it had taken--that of withholding taxes--that it contented itself with keeping up a sort of quiet resistance, which effectually…
Jan 1, 1791
But from such opposition the French Revolution, instead of suffering, receives an homage.
Jan 1, 1791
He must now show that every one in the line of hereditary succession was a Solomon, or his title is not good to be a king.